Bobcats-Grizzlies Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLDPosted Apr 08 2013 2:30PM

Having returned to their top-ranked defensive form, the Memphis Grizzlies are making a run at home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The low-scoring Charlotte Bobcats, mired in a lengthy road losing streak, seem unlikely to stand in their way.

The Grizzlies look to win for the sixth time in seven games and move closer to the third seed in the Western Conference when they host the NBA-worst Bobcats on Tuesday night.

After having its four-game winning streak snapped, Memphis got back on track Sunday when Mike Conley scored 25 points and had the go-ahead basket with 30 seconds left in an 89-87 victory at Sacramento.

Quincy Pondexter tied his career high with 17 points for the Grizzlies (52-25), who have set a franchise record for victories while clinching their third straight playoff berth.

They improved to 19-7 following the All-Star break.

"We're gearing up for the playoffs," Pondexter said. "We're happy with this win. This is the NBA. Getting any win is tough in this league. We executed down the stretch and grinded this one out."

Memphis, in fifth place in the West, will be trying to move within a half-game of third-seeded Denver. The Los Angeles Clippers, the Pacific Division champions, are in fourth.

The Grizzlies would certainly like to finish in the top four and have home-court advantage for at least the first round. They have won 12 straight in Memphis and are 30-8 there.

A renewed focus on the defensive end has keyed the recent run. The Grizzlies, tops in the NBA in scoring defense at 89.7 points per game, surrendered 107.0 along with 50.9 shooting during a three-game stretch March 23-27.

Since then, they've limited opponents to 86.5 and 42.6 in six contests.

Memphis held the Kings to 35.8 percent from the field Sunday, and Marc Gasol came through with a pair of blocked shots in the final seven seconds to preserve the victory.

The Grizzlies should have a good chance to extend that defensive dominance against a Charlotte team that's averaged 88.5 points and 41.7 percent shooting during a 12-game road losing streak.

The Bobcats dropped their second in a row Saturday, 105-96 to Brooklyn. Ben Gordon scored 27 points and Gerald Henderson had 22.

While it hasn't translated into road victories, Charlotte (18-59) has played better in its last 14 games, going 5-9.

"We're carrying a huge amount of losses and this last month we've been unbelievable," coach Mike Dunlap said. "It's staying at the game."

Henderson has given the team a lift with 23.1 points and 50.5 percent shooting in his last seven contests.

In contrast, guard Kemba Walker has gone 6 for 24 in his past two games. He's made 11 for 32 from the field in two career matchups with the Grizzlies.

Charlotte, last in the NBA with a 42.2 field-goal percentage, was held to 37.6 in a 94-87 loss to Memphis on Nov. 17.

Conley led the Grizzlies with 20 points in that contest, and he's averaged 21.5 points in his last eight games.

Zach Randolph had 18 points and 12 rebounds in the November win, but he's averaged 12.5 points and 42.9 percent shooting in his past eight contests.

The Grizzlies have won three of the last four overall meetings and five of seven at home.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Conley, Randolph lead Grizzlies past Bobcats

Posted Apr 10 2013 12:11AM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Mike Conley could have taken a break. However, the Memphis Grizzlies' star point guard knew he would have missed the best part of his team's 13th straight home win.

Conley scored 20 points - his fifth straight game of 20 or more - to lead the Grizzlies, but it was the play of the team's reserves that carried Memphis to a 94-75 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night.

Conley and reserves Quincy Pondexter, Austin Daye, Jon Leuer and Ed Davis opened the fourth quarter on a 19-6 run to build an 82-63 lead. At one point early in the quarter, the Grizzlies scored 15 straight to stretch a three-point advantage to 18 points.

"The bench played well tonight," Conley said. "It really got us out of a funk. Without them it could have been ugly."

Leuer scored a season-high 11 to pace the reserves and Daye had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Conley asked to remain in the game in the fourth when coach Lionel Hollins considering giving him time to rest.

"With the group we had in the game, I asked to give me a few more minutes," Conley said. "Then the lead went from six to 20."

Hollins said the reserves' contributions were the difference, even if the combination wasn't planned.

"I kept looking for people who had energy," Hollins said. "We weren't playing with pizzazz we needed. I went with a whole different group. I kept Mike out (on the court) and rolled the dice a little bit. I thought Mike could lead that group."

Leuer had seven points during the Grizzlies' 15-0 run, including a three-point play on a twisting reverse layup on a no-look pass from Daye.

"We were able to start the fourth quarter off with a run," Leuer said. "From there on, we had control of the game. We were able to give our starters some rest."

Starters Zach Randolph, who finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Tony Allen were able to play fewer than 30 minutes. Randolph played 26 and Allen 24 for a Grizzlies team seeking the third seed in the Western Conference.

Memphis tied a single-season franchise record with its 31st home win. The Grizzlies, who lead the NBA in scoring defense (89.7 points per game), held Charlotte to 37.7 percent shooting.

Kemba Walker finished with 19 to lead the Bobcats, who lost their 13th straight road game.

"They're a good team," Walker said. "They know how to play basketball, especially the bigs."

Charlotte made an attempt at snapping its road streak to start the third quarter. The Bobcats went on a 13-4 to tie the game at 53-all. Walker scored five points during the run and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has four before the Grizzlies recovered behind Conley.

Conley scored seven straight points, mostly on drives to the basket, and Pondexter added a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the quarter to give the Grizzles a 63-57 lead.

NOTES: Darrell Arthur (back) and Jarryd Bayless (knee) did not dress for the Grizzlies for the second straight game. . . . The Grizzlies improved to 20-7 since the All-Star break and improved to a franchise-record 28 games above .500. . . . Charlotte's Gerald Henderson, who entered the game averaging 23.1 points in his previous seven, was held to 13 points on 6-of-16 shooting.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Grizzlies 94, Bobcats 75

THE FACTS: With the season winding down, the starters for Memphis looked sluggish against Charlotte for three quarters. Coach Lionel Hollins turned to his reserves in the fourth quarter and they responded by outscoring the Bobcats, 31-18, to lead the Grizzlies to a 94-75 victory at FedExForum. Point guard Mike Conley had a game-high 20 points and seven assists.

QUOTABLE: "That's what our job is coming off the bench, just to stay ready and provide energy. We came out and really did that. We had great energy, shared the ball and we were getting good stops. It's fun to play when you're sharing the ball and everybody is aggressive and playing at a high level."-- Grizzlies reserve forward Jon Leuer, who led the bench players with 11 points.

THE STAT: The Grizzlies have now won 13 straight home games, the second-longest in franchise history. Their longest such streak is 15 games, which spanned two seasons from March 18 to Nov. 16, 2012. The Grizzlies last loss at home was Feb. 5 against Phoenix.

TURNING POINT: A Jannero Pargo 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter pulled Charlotte within 63-60. But the Grizzlies bench, led by Austin Daye, Jon Leuer, Ed Davis and Quincy Pondexter, sparked the team on both ends of the floor as they went on a 15-0 run that broke the game open. The Bobcats went scoreless for four minutes.

HOT: Leuer took advantage of his extended minutes. In 12 minutes, Leuer had his highest scoring game as a Grizzly, scoring 11 points on 4 for 4 from the floor. He also added five rebounds and two assists.

NOT: The Grizzlies' big men, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, didn't dominate the way you would expect against Josh McRoberts and Bismack Biyombo. Randolph had 11 points on 5 of 12 shooting, while Gasol was 4 for 11, finishing with eight points.

QUOTABLE II: "I just like the fact our guys are holding onto the rope and playing a good brand of basketball. We just have to do a good job of coming down the back stretch and that's kind of been the issue all along. We're addressing it with the different playing combinations. But a lot of credit goes to the guys in the locker room coming in and playing this brand of basketball." -- Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap

NOTABLE: Conley has become the Grizzlies main scoring threat as of late. He has now led the team in scoring in 10 of their last 13 games. In the first 65 games of the season, Conley led the team in scoring just seven times. Tuesday's performance also marked his career-high fifth straight game with 20 or more points. ... Charlotte was held to just 75 points while shooting .375 from the floor. ... While improving to 31-8 at home this season, the Grizzlies have tied their single season record for most home victories in a season. They were 31-10 during the 2003-04 season, their final year at The Pyramid. ... The Grizzlies rounded out the Eastern Conference portion of their schedule, finishing with a 22-8 record. ... The Bobcats have lost 13 straight road games, the second-longest road losing streak by any team this season. ... The loss gives Charlotte (18-60) its second 60-loss season in franchise history. The Bobcats were 18-64 in their inaugural season of 2004-05. ... Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 19 points, nine of those coming in the third quarter when the Bobcats opened with a 13-4 run to tie the game at 53.

UP NEXT: For the Bobcats, Friday at Detroit, Saturday vs. Milwaukee, Monday vs. New York. For the Grizzlies, Friday at Houston, Saturday vs. L.A. Clippers, Monday at Dallas.